This was a fun job, you could hear the electricity running through the lines. 

Those lines behind me were 250,000 volts.

The ones to the left and right of my machine were 130,000 volts.  I was glad it was a clear day and not misty out.

This one is kind of hard to see, sun was in the camera.

Those bars running horizontal from the boom with the wires going into them have power on them also, 130,000 volts.  The picture looks like I was right on them, but never got to within about 25 feet from them.  You could here the voltage running through the lines.  They said when it rains on the job, the power lines and the bars spark from the water hitting them.  Didn't really like being that close to them.

Ya'll be safe out there.

130,000 volts, I hope your insurer does not monitor the site! I worked at a power plant during a " HUGE " Thunder and lighting storm. I think those things attract the lighting? We finished up and I waited a long time before washing out. It was still going on. I still risked it and thought I do not make enough money to loose my life over this!  

From your pictures it looks like a 32m would have been a better fit.

It would have been alot better Bob.  That job was way down in Savannah.

I see they grounded your pump- good call.  A guy who hooked a ground wire on my pump once, told me that the ground wire would trip the entire station if I contacted electricity; That is why they do it.  I don't know how a pump and the people around the job site would fare during the split second between the contact and the shutdown.       I have pumped inside power stations a few times and I don't think I could ever get used to it.

have done many jobs for ga power I TRUST THEM if they say it is safe it is safe, That is their daily routine--dealing with those lines

I did a job at a station three small pours first pour with the boom safty guy from power co said i would be fine "as long as i set up outside the fenced area and boomed in no ground needed" so no questions asked he's the safty guy boomed over layed out ground line about 60 ft job went well go back next day new safty guy  go to set up just like day before safty guy says what the hell are you doing you cant set that up here told him did it yesterday jumps on the phone with big boss shuts job down till boss gets there set up 150ft line pumped off the back end. 2 days later go back for the floor safty guy from day one got fired for putting us in danger so from then on i dont trust anyone with electricity

J how do u like that 47 m putz Does the boom bounce a lot or is it like the 42 putz smooth as hell

Hey Bri, it is smooth most of the time, unless you get real dry mud in it, then it likes to bounce.  I love it.

been there, done that

people at a powerplant I worked with told me that, when you have to work with powers over 100.000 volts won't do the job. a groundcable like I see on the pics will burn up like a rope, a thick chain or 1/2 " steel cable is a better option

never and I mean NEVER underestimate the danger of electricity don't take any risk whatsoever

One time I had to work underneath powerlines in a narrow situation. however the power was cut off because of maintainance (there were reports to verify) I still kept distance

It was bad wheater that day and we had to work in a pouring rain a thunder coming up. in my mind I was counting the time between lightning and thunder. the very second I decided to lay my boom flat lithning struck in the powerlines and found its ground through my boom and the hose to the iron of the net. there was a blast and a fireball a the end of the hose. luckaly the man on the hose had just turned away to pick something up. the mixerdriver who leaned to his truck said he felt a shock and had a pain in his arm

This time it ended without casualties but there could have been people injured or end up dead

so yo all you pumpers DON'T mess with electricity it's a silent killer

The guy that put that ground strap on your pump was interested in completing his pre pour check list. He did not have YOUR SAFETY in mind. [if that was a jumper cable it wouldn't conduct enough juice to start a lawn mower. That hydraulic line or whatever would melt away right now.]

CYA no one else cares as much as you do.

this all happened when I was green, I will remember for the rest of my life and hope i never have to expierience again

the lesson I have learned that I will take my own precautions because I don't want anybody get hurt on my job

I call any operator an idiot that does'nt use a pad or some sort of dunnage under his outriggers. But in this case, It would'nt be a bad idea to leave one of the rear outrigger feet, on the non working side, directly on the ground (bare foot) to give the pump a solid grounding???    Bob is right, That little ground wire is a glorified fuse or fuseable link that would melt in a flash under that kind of voltage

  I ask this because in 1999 I was running a 32m that was struck by lightning! After sutting down the job and inspecting the boom for any damage or burn holes, I folded up and realized that the rear outrigger that was "bare foot" directly on the ground had been welded to the asphalt! That explained why there was no dammage or injuries what so ever, the outrigger was "grounded" and took the brunt of the charge. The hose man took got a buzz, his hands were numb and his arms were noodles but he was checked out and OK.

   That pump went to Beton Equipco for a full inspection, we found 3 tiny burn marks on the top end of the second section. It looked like a bottle rocket had skipped across it? They found no problems and told me there would have been structural and electrical dammage if it had not been grounded like it was! 

While on a job for a contractor, not a pump company we made many pours close to the area where the power came into the plant. All of the booms, crane and pump had lugs welded to the main section. Before you unfolded the boom a big fat ground wire was bolted to that lug. I can't say whether or not it was a good idea because no one ever 'tested' the system. It sounded like a good idea at the time... but... I am NOT educated in that field and just had an opinion, just like we all do. That ground strap in Bfrogs pic would have been better smashed between his outrigger foot and the pad. It damn sure would have had a better shot of conducting the power - as far as I know !?!

Hey TT, and Bob, I went to just put my rear outrigger down on the non-working side, thinking that was a better ground, but the safety man on the job said that it had to have a pad underneath it.  I explained to him why I didn't want a pad under it, but he wouldn't budge, and I wasn't going to argue with his "logic".  The strap on the outrigger was a ground, but more for static electricity than anything.  That was why I wanted to just put a foot down on the back outrigger, but they wouldn't let me.  I thought it made more sense without a pad under it, but the "safety" men on some jobs no more than the operators.  Anyways....

have you seen the new matts that make you like a power line i dont know the correct term but the electricity flows thru with out grounding, we looked at a job where the power company was gonna let a pump set up under 250 kv lines and boom up within 10 feet of them I said no way linepump it and thats what they did but has anyone heard of these matts they look similar to a raincoat material with wire running thru them ? 

Sounds like a giant electric fly swatter/zapper but for operators?